Helping baccalaureate nursing students care for the wellbeing of older adults

Because the world's population is aging there is a dire need for gerontologically prepared registered nurses. Baccalaureate nursing students, therefore, need experiences with older adults. However, due to constraints on their practice, students might have insufficient opportunities to learn about how to contribute to older adults' wellbeing. Students provided with a combination of learning experiences may understand how to contest constraints on their practice and create conditions that facilitate the provision of age-responsive care for older adults. In this paper gerontological-nursing content, constraints on practice, and learning experiences to help students come to understand their contributions to older adults' wellbeing are identified. Potential benefits of these learning experiences for students, older adults, and the nursing profession are discussed.